Not to divert attention from the Saptarishi episode but here is something that wrenched my heart when I learnt of it. About twenty years ago, when an friend of mine appeared to interview for a police constable job, they asked him if he would be able to provide Rs.15,000. This was the good old times when Bangalore was still green and wasn't quite the Silicon valley it is today. Normally a drivers license would cost a reasonable Rs.100 -Rs.300, depending on one's urgency. And then there were Muncipality inspectors who had snatched away equipment from our construction site because we hadn't gotten "approval" of our plan to their satisfaction. A sum of Rs.750 solved our problem.
Today, I hear that every Government official transfer, to the lowest clerk, costs Rs.100000. A police constable has to shell Rs.300000 for his job. And I believe suitcases still need to be delivered to the high command every month! Nobody wrote how the Telgi stamp paper scam financed some election campaigns. I would have imagined that with all the new found prosperity and thriving Indian economy, with all the computerization, the curse of corruption would have all but vanished. Mera Bharat Mahan!
